I covered in an earlier post the building of a garden to draw the Faeries. So I figured today I would talk about crafts that you can do with your children to help with the drawing of the faeries and to decorate the garden
Some of the crafts that you can do are:

Cut shapes out of the aluminum-hearts, diamonds, circles-and punch a hole at the top of each shape. String 1 or 2 shapes along 15 inches of cord by knotting. Do the same with the nails. Tape the ends of the cords to the edge of the flower pot and test for sounds and security by holding the pot upside down. Take several lengths of cord and tie a large knot at one end. Pull the free ends through the hole in the pot to make it hang. Tie a strong knot with the ends and place wind chimes in a tree or under an overhang where the wind brows. source parenting.ivillage.com

Mosaics

Mosaics are a great activity that children absolutely love to do. There are many great sites out there that cover this but the best site that I have found is KimGrantMosaics. She has detailed instructions on making mosaics and on decorating concrete spheres for the garden.

BirdHouses

Making birdhouses are not for the faint of heart or for the uncrafty. A knowledge of tools and basic woodworking is necessary unless you can find and buy a kit. Below is a link for a kit that you can order from Amazon. And here is a link for those who are willing to brave it on your own.

Hummingbird Feeders

I have never had the joy of seeing an hummingbird in the area that I live. But for those that want to either attract them or know that they live in the area and could use a place to stop and eat.

What you will need:

*Small red or red colored bottles.
Crafting wire
Water
Sugar

*Note: The color red is what attracts the hummingbirds to feeders. Many of the hummingbird feeders that you see in retail stores come with “nectar” which is red in color. With this craft the red color of the bottles is going to attract your hummingbirds. You can make your own homemade nectar and save bundles!

To get started:

Choose the bottle(s) you want to use as your feeder. Be sure that the bottle(s) you choose has a large enough opening at the top for the hummingbird to get his beak into. Most any home decor or crafting store stocks these small decorative glass bottles.

1) Cut a long enough piece of crafting wire to securely hang the bottle. You will want to be sure the wire is also long enough the hang the feeder in your designated hummingbird feeding area. Wrap the wire securely around the lip of the bottle. You make want to secure the wire with a small dab of hot glue or superglue depending on the weight of the bottle.

2) Once you have securely connected the wire to the bottle, mix up the nectar. Combine 4 parts water and 1 part sugar. These birds love sweet nectar.

3) Pour your nectar mix into the bottle and hang in a visible area, preferably at eye level. That’s it! You can make a large quantity of nectar and store in a bottle, periodically filling the feeder back to the top. I would recommend emptying the feeder, rinsing it with water and refilling it approximately 2 to 3 times a month. And be on the lookout for ants! If you find that ants are hanging around you may want to move the location of your feeder.

Note: Hummingbirds are very timid. It may take a few weeks or more for these little creatures to discover your feeder, so don’t fret. If you won pets you may want to hang the feeder in an area where you pets will not be. The presence of animals paired with noise will prevent the birds from visiting.

Hummingbird Nectar Mix:
(You can make changes according to the size of your bottle.)

1 cup of water
1/4 cup of sugar
Mix Well.

It’s that simple!

Additional Tips for your Hummingbird Feeder:

Make a collection of hummingbird feeders and hang in a cluster from a tree. You can hang the bottles at varying heights from the tree limbs and the sun shining through the colored glass is beautiful.

Use a “shepard’s hook”, which can be purchased at your local home and garden store, to hang your feeder from.

Hang the feeder from a hook on your patio in front of a window. You will be able to watch the hummingbirds even closer! source rubyglen.com

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